Nova Knicks Embody How to Win Games

The Villanova alumni for the New York Knicks are all on the same page when it comes to winning.

Jan 23, 2024; Brooklyn, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) controls the ball against Brooklyn Nets forward Mikal Bridges (1) during the third quarter at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports | Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

The art of college basketball and playing as a team can often get lost in this new era of basketball, but the New York Knicks are hoping to bring some of that back.

The Knicks have already brought that culture to the team after it signed Jalen Brunson and Donte DiVincenzo while trading for Josh Hart, three teammates who played together at Villanova and won a championship in 2016.

Now, the Knicks have doubled down on that idea, trading for Mikal Bridges from the Brooklyn Nets in a massive blockbuster deal that involved five future first-round picks. But adding Bridges as a player is more than just bringing someone to the squad, it fortifies a vision that Villanova had and the Knicks currently have.

"We all embody how to win games, there's a lot of sacrificing to win," Bridges said in his introductory press conference.

When the four played at Villanova, there was no star player. The team was the star. That led to a National Championship against North Carolina in 2016 and another one two years later in 2018 against Michigan. All four of the "Nova Knicks" were projected to be role players in the NBA. Bridges was the highest-drafted player 10th overall in the 2018 NBA Draft.

DiVincenzo was taken later in that first round at No. 17 to the Milwaukee Bucks while Brunson was the No. 33 overall pick in the second round. Hart was taken the year before with the No. 30 overall pick.

At the beginning of each of their careers, each player had to fill in a role that would mesh in their team, making sacrifices for their top teammates. Ultimately, Brunson took a superstar leap while the others became elite role players, but all have made sacrifices in order to win both before and during their New York days.

However, this team knows how to win together and they want to do so again in this stage of their basketball lives. The fact that all four of them played together in college isn't what makes the "Nova Knicks" special, but rather it is their ability to all make sacrifices for the goal of winning a championship.

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